Posted by Matt Markins in 
My wife and I just flew out of a very smoke filled San Diego. As of this morning there were eight different wild fires surrounding the city: one to the south, four to the west, and three to the north. Even as I write this, we are looking at fire down below.
Yesterday at 3:30 the exhibit hall at the National Youth Workers Convention (sponsored by Youth Specialties) closed down and every one began to pack up. It was a very good conference; well attended by 3,400 attendees. We were able to build relationships with many youth pastors and volunteers from across the country and even some internationally. Once again, it was a delight to share our Teen Devotional Magazines with very hungry ministers. Our Teen and pre-teen resources were a hit!
Yesterday, after we broke-down our booth, we had some free time to explore. So, after taking the advice of many locals, we headed north to La Jolla, a short 20-minute drive north of San Diego. As we were exiting “the 5” (as they say in So. Cal.) and heading west on the La Jolla Pkwy we noticed a huge cloud of smoke billowing from behind a hill just to the north west of where we were at the time (which we later found out was the smoke coming from the Poway fire).
By the time that we got to downtown La Jolla, the smoke was so thick that we had to roll up the windows. Ashes were falling from the sky and we were getting a little chocked up (and not because it was our last night in sunny, or shall I say, “smoky” SD!).
We then drove a little south to get away from the smoke and settled at a trendy little restaurant which overlooks the surf filled Pacific. The Mahi-Mahi was the freshest I’ve ever tasted and the scallops were delicious. The surfers were “totally rad” and I’ve never seen so many different kinds of bikes before (Nashville…get with it!). Then, suddenly it began to snow! Not real snow, but ashes. Again! The smoke was making its way south down the coast.
So, we asked two different waiters and our hostess, and not a one of them knew about this fire. One of them even said, “oh, there must be a structural fire somewhere.” After breathing the smoke filled air for more than an hour, we had to get out of there, so we headed back to SD.
By the Time we got back to our hotel room and turned on the news, we learned that there were fires all around SD…and at this point every one who had been out having fun all day or at work (like our waiters) was totally oblivious to it. Apparently the winds coming of the Arizona dessert were so strong that they caused 8 different wild fires to spring up in the San Diego area.
It is really hard to fathom. As we watched the news, we saw how the fires would skip from tree to tree and would randomly (seemingly) choose every 4th or 5th house. It seemed unfair to that house that was “chosen” by the fire. Apparently the burning embers that go flying through the air will find their way into an attic vent or a wooden deck/porch, and then it’s all over. Within minutes these houses are up in flames and within an hour they can be leveled. One reporter we were watching reported how a fire moved across an 8-lane roadway (the 94 if I remember correctly). It’s not that it actually burned across the highway, but the strong winds (30 – 60 mph) were carrying the burning embers long distances, continuing this monsters path of destruction.
The word on the streets here is that the winds are not suppose to die down until Tuesday evening, Wednesday at the latest, and will continue to fuel the extremely aggressive flames. They are saying that these fires may not stop until they reach the coast, and this entire outbreak could be even worse than the one San Diego experienced in 2003.
Our hearts go out to the people of the Witch Creek, San Marcos, Rancho Bernardo, and the other areas who are experiencing so much devastation right now. Pray for the families who have been evacuated, their homes, and at worst those who have to sort through the embers. Pray for funds, resources and perhaps even volunteer units from surrounding states who could come and help contain the blazes…not to mention the men and women who are placing their lives on the line to protect and rescue their communities.
